This invention relates generally to manufacturing of surface mount electronic components including magnetic cores, and more specifically to manufacturing of surface mount electronic components having magnetic cores with wire coils.
Manufacturing processes for electrical components have been scrutinized as a way to reduce costs in the highly competitive electronics manufacturing business. Reduction of manufacturing costs are particularly desirable when the components being manufactured are low cost, high volume components. In a high volume component, any reduction in manufacturing costs is, of course, significant. Manufacturing costs as used herein refers to material cost and labor costs, and reduction in manufacturing costs is beneficial to consumers and manufacturers alike.
A variety of electrical components such as transformers and inductors include at least one winding disposed about a magnetic core. For example, at least one type of inductor includes a conductive wire coil wrapped around a toroid-shaped ferromagnetic core, and each end of the coil includes a lead for coupling the inductor to an electronic circuit. As the size of the component is reduced, and especially for surface mount components, the coil leads can be fragile and difficult to connect to a circuit. Therefore, in one type of inductor, for example, a header assembly is adhesively bonded to the core and the coil leads are wrapped about terminals of the header assembly to facilitate connection of the coils to external circuitry. The header assembly, however, tends to increase the cost and overall size of the electrical component. In an era of ever increasing miniaturization and lower cost electrical components, such a header assembly is undesirable.
Additionally, when the components are used in environments susceptible to mechanical shock and vibration, known magnetic core assemblies may present reliability issues if the fragile electrical connections of the coil are jarred loose. It would be desirable to provide a magnetic core assembly which is better suited for demanding work environments, particularly with respect to shock and vibration.